Marquette, Michigan

Marquette ( mar-KET) is the county seat of Marquette County and the largest city in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, United States. Located on the shores of Lake Superior, Marquette is a regional center for government, education, health care, and commerce and a major port for shipping iron ore and iron ore pellets from the Marquette Iron Range. The city is partially surrounded by Marquette Township, but the two municipalities are administered separately. Marquette is named after Jacques Marquette, a French Jesuit missionary who explored the Great Lakes region. Marquette had a population of 20,629 at the 2020 census; the Census Bureau estimated 21,944 residents in 2025. It is the largest city in Michigan north of the Tri-Cities and the third-largest American city on Lake Superior, after Duluth, Minnesota, and Superior, Wisconsin. Marquette's urban area extends south toward Harvey and west toward Negaunee and Ishpeming, near the eastern end of the Huron Mountains. Marquette is home to Northern Michigan University (NMU), a four-year public university whose fall 2025 enrollment was 7,386. NMU's athletic teams are known as the Wildcats and compete primarily in the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC). The men's ice hockey team competes in the NCAA Division I Central Collegiate Hockey Association and won the Division I national championship in 1991. History The land around Marquette was known to French missionaries of the early 17th century and the trappers of the early 19th century. The area was originally and predominantly inhabited by the Noquet, Ojibwe, Odawa and Potawatomi, the latter three peoples comprising the Anishinaabe Council of Three Fires. They knew the area as Gichi-namebini-ziibing ("The river of giant white suckers", referring to the Dead River). Development of the area began in 1844, when William Burt and Jacob Houghton (the brother of geologist Douglass Houghton) discovered iron deposits near Teal Lake west of Marquette. In 1845, Jackson Mining Company, the first organized mining company in the region, was formed. The village of Marquette began on September 14, 1849, with the formation of the Marquette Iron Company. Three men participated in organizing the firm: Robert J. Graveraet, who had prospected the region for ore; Edward Clark, agent for Waterman A. Fisher of Worcester, Massachusetts, who financed the company; and Amos Rogers Harlow. The village was at first called New Worcester, with Harlow as its first postmaster. On August 21, 1850, the name was changed to honor Jacques Marquette, the French Jesuit missionary who had explored the region. A second post office, named Carp River, was opened on October 13, 1851, by Peter White, who had gone there with Graveraet at age 18. Harlow closed his post office in August 1852. The Marquette Iron Company failed, while its successor Cleveland Iron Mining Company flourished and had the village platted in 1854. The plat was recorded by White. White's office was renamed as Marquette in April 1856, and the village was incorporated in 1859. It was incorporated as a city in 1871. During the 1850s, Marquette was linked by rail to numerous mines and became the leading shipping center of the Upper Peninsula. The first ore pocket dock, designed by an early town leader, John Burt, was built by the Cleveland Iron Mining Company in 1859. By 1862, the city had a population of over 1,600 and a soaring economy. In the late 19th century, during the height of iron mining, Marquette became nationally known as a summer haven. Visitors brought in by Great Lakes passenger steamships filled the city's hotels and resorts. South of the city, K. I. Sawyer Air Force Base was an important Air Force installation during the Cold War, host to B-52H bombers and KC-135 tankers of the Strategic Air Command, as well as a fighter-interceptor squadron. The base closed in September 1995, and its former airfield became Marquette Sawyer Regional Airport. Marquette continues to be a shipping port for hematite ores and, today, enriched iron ore pellets, from nearby mines and pelletizing plants. About 7.9 million gross tons of pelletized iron ore passed through Presque Isle Harbor in 2005. Roman Catholic Bishop Frederic Baraga is entombed in the Baraga Chapel at St. Peter Cathedral, the mother church of the Diocese of Marquette. Lakeview Arena, an ice hockey rink in Marquette, won the Kraft Hockeyville USA contest in 2016. The arena received $150,000 in upgrades and hosted the Buffalo Sabres and Carolina Hurricanes in a preseason NHL contest. Postal and philatelic history In addition to the Marquette #1 Post Office, there is the "Northern Michigan University Bookstore Contract Station #384". The first day of issue of a postal card showing Bishop Frederic Baraga took place in Marquette on June 29, 1984, and that of the Wonders of America Lake Superior stamp on May 27, 2006. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 19.40 square miles (50.25 km2), of which 11.34 square miles (29.37 km2) is land and 8.06 square miles (20.88 km2) is water. The city includes several small islands and rock formations in Lake Superior, principally Middle Island, Gull Island, Lover's Island, Presque Isle Point Rocks, White Rocks, Ripley Rock, and Picnic Rocks. The Marquette Underwater Preserve lies immediately offshore. Marquette Mountain, used for skiing in the winter and lift-serviced downhill mountain biking in the summer, is located in the city, as is most of the land of Marquette Branch Prison of the Michigan Department of Corrections. Trowbridge Park (under Marquette Township), is located to the west, Sands Township to the south, and Marquette Township to the northwest. Climate The climate is a hemiboreal humid continental (Köppen: Dfb) with four distinct seasons that are strongly moderated by Lake Superior and is located in Plant Hardiness zone 5b. Winters are long and cold with a January average of 18.5 °F (−7.5 °C). Winter temperatures are slightly warmer than inland locations at a similar latitude due to the release of the heat stored by the lake, which moderates the climate. On average, there are 11.6 days annually where the minimum temperature reaches 0 °F (−18 °C) and 73 days with a maximum at or below freezing, including a majority of days during meteorological winter (December through February). Being located in the snowbelt region, Marquette receives substantial snowfall, much of it from lake-effect snow. Because Lake Superior rarely freezes over completely, lake-effect snow can persist through much of the winter. Older NOAA comparative data, using a different observation period and site, reported an annual average of 149.1 inches or 3.79 meters, while the 1991–2020 normals for the Marquette station used in the climate table below report 102.0 inches or 2.59 meters. Snowfall varies considerably across the Marquette area because of elevation, wind direction, and distance from Lake Superior. The snow depth in winter usually exceeds 10 inches or 0.25 meters. The warmest months, July and August, average 66.2 °F (19.0 °C). Lake Superior cools summertime temperatures, and temperatures above 90 °F (32.2 °C) average 3.4 days per year. Spring and fall are transitional seasons that are generally mild though highly variable due to the alternation of air masses moving quickly. Spring is usually cooler than fall because Lake Superior is slower to warm than the land, while in fall the lake releases heat, warming the area. Marquette receives 30.2 inches (770 mm) of precipitation annually, which is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year, though September and October are the wettest months with February and March being the driest. The average window for morning freezes is October 15 through May 7. The highest temperature ever recorded was 108 °F (42 °C) on July 15, 1901, and the lowest was −33 °F (−36 °C) on February 8, 1861. Marquette receives an average of 2,294 hours of sunshine per year or 51 percent of possible sunshine, ranging from a low of 29 percent in December to a high of 68 percent in July. Marquette has received national attention for its measures to adapt to climate change, such as coastline restoration and moving portions of Lakeshore Boulevard which are flooded by Lake Superior 100 yards (91 m) inland. Property owners are required to maintain “riparian buffers” of native plants along waterways. A county task force has created a guidebook in cooperation with the University of Michigan for landscaping which can reduce the habitat for disease-bearing ticks. A federally funded stormwater drain project will route runoff which flows into Lake Superior into restored wetlands. At the time of a 2014 NOAA climate study, climate change was expected to lead to rising temperatures, a longer growing season, and greater precipitation in Marquette. Demographics 2020 census As of the 2020 census, Marquette had a population of 20,629 with 8,364 households and 3,651 families residing in the city. The median age was 32.8 years. 12.3% of residents were under age 18 and 17.6% of residents were 65 years or older. For every 100 females there were 117.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 119.8 males age 18 and over. 94.5% of residents lived in urban areas, while 5.5% lived in rural areas. There were 8,364 households, of which 17.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 33.1% were married-couple households, 24.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 33.6% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 39.3% of all households were made up of individuals, 13.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older, and the average household size was 2.17. The average family size was 2.7. There were 9,114 housing units, of which 8.2% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.8% and the rental vacancy rate was 5.0%. 2010 census As of the census of 2010, there were 21,355 people, 8,321 households, and 3,788 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,874.9 inhabitants per square mile (723.9/km2). There were 8,756 housing units at an average density of 768.7 per square mile (296.8/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 91.1% White, 4.4% African American, 1.5% Native American, 0.9% Asian, 0.3% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.4% of the population. There were 8,321 households, of which 18.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 33.3% were married couples living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 54.5% were non-families. 38.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.05 and the average family size was 2.71. The median age in the city was 29.1 years. 12.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 30.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.3% were from 25 to 44; 21.9% were from 45 to 64; and 13% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 51.8% male and 48.2% female. 2000 census At the 2000 census, there were 19,661 people, 8,071 households and 4,067 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,723.9 inhabitants per square mile (665.6/km2). There were 8,429 housing units at an average density of 739.1 per square mile (285.4/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 95% White, 0.8% African American, 1.7% Native American, 0.8% Asian, 0% Pacific Islander, 0.22% from other races, and 1.33% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.77% of the population. 15.5% were of German, 12.6% Finnish, 8.9% French, 8.5% English, 8.2% Irish, 6.8% Italian and 6.7% Swedish ancestry according to Census 2000. There were 8,071 households, of which 23.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.2% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 49.6% were non-families. 37.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.13 and the average family size was 2.81. Age distribution was 16.8% under the age of 18, 25.9% from 18 to 24, 23.8% from 25 to 44, 19.7% from 45 to 64, and 13.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.4 males. The median household income was $29,918, and the median family income was $48,120. Males had a median income of $34,107 versus $24,549 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,787. About 7.2% of families and 17.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.3% of those under age 18 and 5.1% of those age 65 or over. Government Marquette has a seven-member city commission elected in nonpartisan, citywide elections. The commission is the legislative branch of city government, adopts ordinances and resolutions, establishes policy, and approves the municipal budget. The city manager and city attorney are appointed by and report directly to the commission. As of July 2026, Paul Schloegel served as mayor and Karen Kovacs as city manager. Economy Education, health care, government, corrections, manufacturing, and iron mining are major parts of the local and regional economy. The principal employers in Marquette and the surrounding county include UP Health System–Marquette, Northern Michigan University, Cleveland-Cliffs, the Upper Peninsula Medical Center, Marquette Area Public Schools, Marquette Branch Prison, and Resolve Surgical Technologies, formerly RTI Surgical. UP Health System–Marquette is a regional medical center and the Upper Peninsula's only Level II trauma center. Charter Communications and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan also maintain operations in the area. Marquette is known for its breweries, including Ore Dock Brewing Company and Blackrocks Brewery. Five breweries were extant in the city as of 2019. Marquette's port was the 140th largest in the United States in 2015, ranked by tonnage. The Army Corps of Engineers maintains separate federal navigation projects at Marquette Harbor and Presque Isle Harbor; the latter serves the active ore-loading dock on the city's north side. Arts and culture Museums, galleries, and lighthouses Marquette Maritime Museum, including the Marquette Harbor Light; Upper Peninsula Children's Museum, Baraga Avenue. Marquette County History Museum. DeVos Art Museum, Northern Michigan University. Oasis Gallery for Contemporary Art. Festivals and events Art on the Rocks—art festival at Ellwood Mattson Lower Harbor Park Hiawatha Music Festival, a traditional-music festival at Tourist Park Marquette's July 4 Celebration Marquette's Blueberry Festival Superior Bike Fest UP 200 Dog Sled Race Noquemanon Ski Marathon Marquette Area Blues Fest Marquette Scandinavian Midsummer Festival and Wife-Carrying Contest U.P. Fall Beer Festival, hosted by Michigan Brewers Guild Ore to Shore Marquette Marathon OutBack Art Fair Live theatrical productions are also provided through Northern Michigan University's Forest Roberts Theatre and Black Box Theatre, Marquette's Graveraet School Kaufman Auditorium and Lake Superior Theatre, a semi-professional summer stock theatre. Libraries Peter White Public Library Parks and recreation Presque Isle Park is located on the north side of the city. The largely untouched, forested landscape of the park was the result of a 1891 visit from landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, who refused to develop a plan for it because he believed it "should not be marred by the intrusion of artificial objects." Amenities include a wooden bandshell for concerts, a park pavilion, a gazebo, a marina, a concession stand, picnic tables, barbecue pits, walking and skiing trails, playground facilities, and Moosewood Nature Center. The city has several designated bathing areas, including South Beach Park, McCarty's Cove, North McCarty's Cove, Picnic Rocks, and Presque Isle Park. McCarty's Cove is flanked by a red U.S. Coast Guard Station lighthouse on its south shore. South Beach and McCarty's Cove include picnic and recreation facilities. Other parks include Tourist Park, Founder's Landing, LaBonte Park, Mattson Lower Harbor Park, Park Cemetery, Shiras Park, Williams Park, Harlow Park, Pocket Park, Spring Street Park, and Father Marquette Park. There are numerous other recreational facilities. Lakeview Arena is best known for its use as an ice hockey facility, but it also hosts concerts, conventions, trade shows, and other public events. A skateboard park is located near the arena. Lakeview Arena was home to the Marquette Electricians and Marquette Senior High School's Redmen hockey team. In 1974, the arena replaced the historic Palestra, which had been located a few blocks away. Gerard Haley Memorial Baseball field home of the Marquette Blues and Reds is located in the north side along with numerous little league and softball fields. Marquette is home to the largest wooden dome in the world, the Superior Dome. The 14-story structure covers 5.1 acres (2.1 ha) and has a permanent seating capacity of 8,000, with a maximum capacity of about 16,000. During the football season, the venue is used primarily for football. Northern Michigan University holds its home football games there, as does the Michigan High School Athletic Association for the Upper Peninsula's high school football playoffs. The dome also hosts numerous private and public events that draw visitors from around the region. The Marquette Golf Club has brought international recognition to the area for its unique and dramatic Greywalls course, opened in 2005. The course features several panoramic views of Lake Superior. The city is also known for fishing for deep water lake trout, whitefish, salmon and brown trout. Marquette has an extensive network of biking and walking paths, which the city has expanded as part of its promotion of walking, cycling, and outdoor recreation. Cross-country ski trails are located at Presque Isle Park and the Fit Strip. Camping facilities are located at Tourist Park, which also includes picnic sites, a beach, playgrounds, and access to the city multi-use path. The combination of hilly terrain (a 600-foot (180 m) vertical difference from top to bottom) and large area snow falls enables snowboarding and downhill skiing at Marquette Mountain. Education Public schools Marquette is served by Marquette Area Public Schools (MAPS). The district's current organization includes four K–5 elementary schools, Bothwell Middle School, Marquette Senior High School, and an alternative high-school program. Marquette Senior High School, grades 9–12 Marquette Alternative High School at Vandenboom Bothwell Middle School, grades 6–8 Cherry Creek Elementary Graveraet Elementary Sandy Knoll Elementary School Superior Hills Elementary School North Star Academy, a public charter Montessori school serving grades K–12 Private schools Father Marquette Elementary School Father Marquette Middle School Universities Northern Michigan University, a public university with 7,386 students enrolled in fall 2025 and more than 190 degree programs. Media The Mining Journal is the region's daily newspaper. The monthly Marquette Monthly and Northern Michigan University's student newspaper, The North Wind, also serve the region. Marquette's oldest continuously operating radio station is 1320 WDMJ, which began broadcasting in 1931. The Upper Peninsula's first television station was WDMJ-TV, now WLUC-TV, which began broadcasting on channel 6 in 1956. Both stations were historically associated with The Mining Journal. The city lies within the Marquette media market. Radio and television stations include: Public broadcasters WNMU-TV (PBS) and WNMU-FM, both operated by Northern Michigan University. Commercial television stations WLUC-TV (NBC and Fox), and WZMQ (CBS and MeTV). Commercial radio stations: WUPK-FM, WFXD-FM, and WDMJ. Religious radio stations WHWL-FM and WNOA-LPFM. Student station WUPX. Infrastructure Transportation Marquette is served by Marquette Sawyer Regional Airport (MQT, KSAW), located about 20 miles (32 km) south of downtown. As of 2026, American Eagle and United Express provided nonstop service to Chicago O'Hare, while Delta Connection provided daily nonstop service to Detroit Metro; Delta also scheduled seasonal or selected-day service to Minneapolis. The city is served by the MarqTran public-transit system. Its fixed routes include North and South Marquette services and connections from Marquette to Ishpeming, Negaunee, Sawyer, and Gwinn. The system operates from a transit center in adjacent Marquette Township and maintains a transfer station in downtown Marquette. Indian Trails bus lines operates daily intercity bus service between Hancock and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The line operates a stop at MarqTran's transit center. Marquette has limited freight rail service by the Lake Superior and Ishpeming Railroad (LS&I). The Canadian National Railway passes through nearby Negaunee. The LS&I serves the Upper Harbor Ore Dock, which loads iron ore pellets from nearby mining operations onto lake freighters for shipment throughout the Great Lakes. Three of MDOT's state highways serve Marquette. US 41 / M-28 / LSCT are two highways continuing westerly and northerly toward Houghton and Wakefield and southerly toward Escanaba and Sault Ste. Marie. Bus. US 41 previously ran through downtown Marquette before the streets carrying it were turned back to city control in 2005. M-553 is a highway providing a connection to Marquette Sawyer Regional Airport and Gwinn. Notable people The following people were born in Marquette, lived in the city, or have a substantial professional or educational association with it. In popular culture John D. Voelker, writing as Robert Traver, set his novels Anatomy of a Murder (1958) and Laughing Whitefish (1965) in the Marquette area. The film version of Anatomy of a Murder, dramatizing a 1952 killing and the subsequent trial, was filmed partly in Marquette and Big Bay. Many courtroom scenes were shot in the Marquette County Courthouse. Philip Caputo set his novel Indian Country (1987) in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, and several scenes depict Marquette. A portion of Craig Thompson's autobiographical graphic novel Blankets takes place in Marquette. The Adult Swim television series Joe Pera Talks with You was partially filmed at and takes place in and around the city. Sister cities Marquette maintains sister-city relationships with two municipalities through the Marquette Area Sister City Partnership: Higashiōmi, Japan. Marquette's relationship with the Japanese community began with Higashiōmi's predecessor city of Yōkaichi in 1979 and continued after the municipalities of the area merged in 2005. Kajaani, Finland, partnered with Marquette since 1997. See also Arch and Ridge Streets Historic District Big Bay Point Light List of shipwrecks of the 1913 Great Lakes storm References External links Official website Travel Marquette Marquette Downtown Development Authority Northern Michigan University